The Essence Stay All Day liquid foundation has received glowing reviews from women online, so I decided to try it out. Also, I was interested in its claim of being long-wearing; this semester, my classes are from 7:30AM to 6:00PM or 7:30AM to 7:30PM (!) so I definitely needed something that would last throughout the day.

This comes in just four shades. Based on swatches I’ve seen online, I decided that 30 Soft Sand would be my best match; the others were too light or too pink. Apparently (and the saleslady said so), this particular foundation is their bestseller. As a matter of fact, there was only one bottle left on the counter. Fortunately for me, it was 30 Soft Sand.

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I remember thinking before that San San HD Foundation in Olive was too orange, but lo and behold–next to Soft Sand, it’s much more yellow.

What I do to get a better shade match is mix Essence with a bit of San San HD foundation in Beige. Well, it works; even if I apply too much foundation, I find that my face does not look too orange.

The foundation has a creamy, slightly mousse-like texture. It smells floral-powdery, the old lady kind, but I can live with that. It spreads easily with a brush and is not prone to caking. Compared to San San HD Foundation, Essence has a finish that’s more matte, which is good news for oily-skinned persons like me. Coverage is medium; it can’t fully hide dark post-acne hyperpigmentation.

Now, for the 16-hour long-wearing claim–I’m happy to say that it’s true! On a typical 7:30AM to 7:30PM day, my foundation is in place by 5:30AM and I remove it at around 9:30PM. I can see smudges of foundation on the wipes I use to take my makeup off.

However, take note of the following:

I like retouching because I have oily skin. I blot and apply powder every couple of hours or so.

I’m not a sweaty person. When I do sweat, I pat my face with a hanky instead of wiping it.

Don’t expect the same coverage as when this foundation is freshly applied. At the end of the day, there will definitely be fading and pores will be peeking through.

In all, I don’t like the limited and beige/pink-based shades, but I do like the coverage and how long the foundations lasts even on my oily skin. I also like the plastic pump packaging; very travel-friendly. I will definitely repurchase from Essence, but I’m also considering trying their All About Matt foundation, which comes in an even travel-friendlier flat tube.